Thai Rice Soup( Khao Tom)
My mother made this when I was not well and it was the dish that made everything feel right again. The rice soft in the broth, the ginger and lemongrass present, the fried garlic on top. My father loved it too, any time of day. At the market the vendors kept large pots of it warm all morning and the smell of it was the same smell that came from our house when my mother was at the stove. Gentle, warm, deeply nourishing, and completely itself. Make this when someone needs it. Make it when you need it. It will do what it has always done.
Ingredients
- 1 cup jasmine rice uncooked
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
- 2 inches fresh ginger thinly sliced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 stalks lemongrass
- 2 green onions chopped
- 1/4 cup cilantro chopped
- 1/4 cup fried garlic optional, for garnish
- 1 lime cut into wedges
- 1-2 Thai chilies optional, sliced for garnish
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Instructions
- Prepare the Rice: Rinse jasmine rice in cold water until the water runs clear. Drain well.
- Simmer Broth:Bring chicken broth to a boil in a large pot. Add ginger, lemongrass, and garlic. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add Rice Stir in jasmine rice. Simmer for 25-30 minutes until rice is tender.
- Season and Serve:Remove aromatics and taste the broth. This is What Makes the Difference. Stir in fish sauce and white pepper to taste. Remove lemongrass stalks before serving. Garnish with cilantro leaves, green onions, and a squeeze of fresh lime juice.
Notes
Start the broth with the aromatics before the rice goes in. Ten minutes of the ginger and lemongrass and garlic simmering in the seasoned broth before the rice arrives means the broth is already fragrant and developed when the rice begins to absorb it. Rice added to a broth that has not had time to develop will produce a soup that tastes of stock and rice separately rather than together. Give the aromatics their ten minutes first.
The rice goes in uncooked. This is not a recipe for leftover rice. Uncooked jasmine rice absorbs the broth as it simmers and becomes completely saturated with the flavor of the stock. The texture is different from cooked rice added to broth, softer and more porridge-like, and the flavor is different because the rice has been cooking in the seasoned broth from the beginning rather than arriving already cooked. Uncooked rice, added directly to the simmering broth, is the correct method.
Make the fried garlic. This is the instruction that separates a Khao Tom that tastes like the market vendor's version from one that is simply rice in broth. Thin-sliced garlic, fried in oil until golden and crispy, scattered over the top of the soup at the moment of serving. The oil it was fried in can be drizzled over the top as well for additional flavor. Two minutes of work for something that makes every single spoonful better. Make it.
The soup will continue to thicken as it sits because the rice continues to absorb liquid. If serving from a pot over time, keep additional warm broth alongside to add as needed. A Khao Tom that has been sitting for thirty minutes will be significantly thicker than one just made. Both are delicious. The thicker version is closer to congee. The thinner version is more soup-like. Both are correct.
Nutrition
Serving: 1.5cupsCalories: 280kcalCarbohydrates: 45gProtein: 15gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 25mgSodium: 800mgFiber: 2gSugar: 1g
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